Caladiums [Caladium hortulanum Birdsey, Araceae Juss.] are often used to provide color and a tropical ambiance to container gardening or the landscape. Red fancy-leaved cultivars represented 23% of the tuber producing industry in a 1998 survey (Bell et al., Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc., 111:32-34, 1998), compared to 29% and 28% for fancy white or pink cultivars, respectively. ‘Frieda Hemple’ (33%) and ‘Postman Joyner’ (13%) accounted for nearly half of the red cultivars grown. ‘Florida Cardinal’, released from a Caladium breeding program in 1988 (Wilfret, Univ. Fla., Inst. Food Agric. Sci. Circ., S-351, 1988), comprised 7% of the red fancy-leaved cultivars grown, and was bred primarily for use in containers because it produces many leaves without the need to de-eye tubers.
The invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Caladium hortulanum plant named ‘UF-18-49’. ‘UF-18-49’ originated from a planned cross between ‘UF-702’ (female parent, unpatented) and ‘Red Flash’ (male parent, unpatented). ‘UF-702’ was a breeding line derived from a cross between an unnamed sport of ‘Aaron’ and UF-FCB, a breeding line resulting from a cross between ‘Fire Chief’ and ‘Buck’. ‘Red Flash’ and ‘Aaron’ are major commercial cultivars known for their attractive leaf colors, strong plant vigor, excellent sun tolerance, high tuber yields, and large tuber sizes (Bell et al., Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc., 111:32-34, 1998; Deng et al., Univ. Fla., Inst. Food Agric. Sci., EDIS Publication #ENH1007, Gainesville, Fla., 2008). ‘Fire Chief’ and ‘Buck’ are commercially produced on a much smaller scale, but they carry some unique characteristics: ‘Fire Chief’ produces red translucent leaves and ‘Buck’ produces deep, dark-red leaves. The ancestry of ‘Aaron’, ‘Fire Chief’, ‘Red Flash’, and ‘Buck’ is unknown. The cross that produced ‘UF-18-49’ was made in 2000. ‘UF-18-49’ was discovered and selected in 2001 within the progeny of the stated cross. Asexual propagation was performed by tubers and tuber division, and evaluation in field and pot studies in Bradenton, Fla. between 2001 and 2004 and in Wimauma, Fla. since 2005 have shown that the unique features of ‘UF-18-49’ are stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have not been applied for. ‘UF-18-49’ has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.